Rubik's Cube (Ideal)

 

I had one. You had one. We all had one. As children of the 80's it was impossible not to own a Rubik's Cube at some point. It was every parent's favorite educational game / toy, and a blessing on car rides in a pre handheld gaming world.

Magic Cube, or Bűvös kocka, as its original 1975 patent translates it in Hungarian, was created by Ernő Rubik, as a tool for solving the structural problem of moving the parts independently without the entire mechanism falling apart. Rubik stumbled upon the concept that he had created a puzzle box when shuffling the squares for the first time, and attempting to restore it.

The first cubes were sold in Budapest toy shops in 1977. However, it wouldn't be until Rubik met Austrian salesman, Tibor Laczi, that the small puzzle would garner its greatest success. With the approval of the inventor, Laczi took the Cube to Germany's Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 1979. It was here that it garnered the attention of Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer, who worked a deal with Ideal Toys to release Magic Cube worldwide.

Ideal wanted a name that was recognizable, and could be trademarked. It was this thought process that lead to the box being named after its inventor, and the name was officially changed in 1980. However, this wasn't until after the toy manufacturer considered other names, such as The Gordian Knot and Inca Gold.

In addition to the name change, Rubik's Cube underwent significant revisions to meet with safety regulations in the West. Part of these changes incorporated an overall lighter puzzle box. With everything in place, production began, and the first wave shipped from Hungry in May of 1980.

Though sales were mild at first, Ideal set in motion a heavy advertising campaign which pushed the toy into the spotlight across homes via daily newspapers. As sales picked up, so too did its notoriety, winning the puzzle several awards across Germany, UK, USA, and France.

By 1981, Rubik's Cube was a household name, with sales estimated at two hundred million worldwide. This year also saw the first speed championship hosted by the Guinness Book of World Records. For those who remained in the amature class, several published books regarding solving the Cube were also released to help with the puzzle.

Popularity of the toy even caught the attention of ABC Television, who secured the rights, and developed a cartoon as part of The Pac-Man / Rubik, the Amazing Cube Hour block. The series ran for one season, consisting of thirteen episodes which aired from September through December of 1983.

Sales dropped in 1982, with the New York Times reporting that the craze had died. However, this was only true in the USA. Whereas in several communist countries, demand remained high, with the toy continuing to be sought after from initial shortages. Though it is fair to say that overall sales had definitely plummeted by 1983 as compared to 1981.

Despite this, the Rubik's Cube has remained a staple item on toy shelves for decades, even seeing a revitalization in the 2000's. Championships also resumed for the first time since 1982 in 2003, and have remained a mainstay across the globe as people continue to battle for the coveted Guinness World Records title for fastest time. Feliks Zemdegs is the current title holder, solving the cube in 4.22 seconds.

As for me, I'll have to suffice for the tried and true tactic of peeling the stickers off, and unscrewing the center bit which holds it in place. I doubt I'll be winning any records going that route, but hey, I too solved the mystery of the Rubik's Cube.

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Michael's Pets (Ideal)

 

Michael's Pets
Ideal
1987

Put the name, "Michael Jackson" on anything in the 80's and it was pretty much guaranteed to sell out. Topps did it with trading cards. LJN did it with dolls, and Ideal did it with stuffed animals, just to name a few.

Known as Michael's Pets, Ideal took the famous animals from Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch, slapped adorable clothing on them, and watched as the cash river flowed. Though all of them sold relatively well, of the ten released, Bubbles, Cool Bear and Spanky were the biggest sellers of the bunch.

Each plush came in its own red "L" display box, deco'd in hand drawn artwork, and featured a cassette recorded with its own unique children's story and song tucked inside. However, kids and fans alike quickly discovered that Michael was nowhere to be found on any of the tapes.

Though I didn't personally collect or play with plushy stuff, I remember my sister had a handful of these. Inf act, it was the most popular ones that I mentioned above.

Bubbles The Chimp

Cool Bear

Jabbar The Giraffe

Jeannine The Ostrich

Louie The Llama

Mr. Bill The Security Guard

Muscles The Snake

Spanky The Dog

Suzie The Bunny

Uncle Tookie The Frog

Though challenging, one can still put a set of these together these days. Complete in the box, they can sell for anywhere from fifteen to one hundred dollars. But, do make sure you're getting the cassette tape with it if you pay the high end price for them. 

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The Game Of Jaws (Ideal)

The Game Of Jaws
Ideal
1975

You know, if I've seen Jaws, I don't remember it. I think I've seen it...I remember owning it on VHS along with Jaws 2, Jaws 3D and Jaws: The Revenge. I have to believe because of this I've seen it. However, now that I think about it, I don't really remember any of the content in the films. Hmm....

Despite its popularity, it's difficult to make merchandise around that of a shark and the few humans which were relevant in the movie. Of course, considering it was 1975, and nobody was really banking big money on movie tie-in merchandise, it's irrelevant. Not only was there limited Jaws merchandise available, the stuff that did exist was all only relatable in the name, and not the human characters.

Take for example the 1975 Ideal game, The Game of Jaws. The concept was a take on Milton Bradley's Operation (1965). Although, without the buzzers and body parts.

The premise was to fill Jaws' mouth with all the games "junk pieces", and then be the first person to remove four from his mouth with your gaff hook. If you didn't do it correctly, the mouth would snap shut, and your turn was over. 

Honestly, it doesn't sound like all that bad of a game. I could see a younger version of myself having a lot of fun playing this with my siblings and / or friends. Heck, it wouldn't even have to be called Jaws to sell it. A game like this could have easily stood on its own.

The downer to this game is finding one complete with all the pieces and being relatively cheap. Getting one in the box with all the parts will easily set you back seventy dollars or more. Ouch. While I know there are some high tech board games out there these days that can set you back that kind of scratch, this one here is by no means fancy in any way. Not sure I would personally see the value in that, but then again I can't even remember if I've seen the movies or not. So, you know, not exactly a fan over here.

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Electroman and Zogg the Terrible (Ideal)

Electroman
Ideal
1977

Man, vintage toys really were the best. They just don't make them like they used to. Take Electroman here. The figure incorporates a flahslight which can be used to blast his enemy Zogg the Terrible (which we'll go into more down below).

Electroman is decked out from head to toe in an almost Mork from Ork style garb - Or perhaps the Greatest American Hero. Bright red and yellow makes this guy stand out like a sore thumb in your classic hero lineup.

Zogg the Terrible
Ideal
1977

As mentioned, Electroman was intended to be paired with Zogg the Terrible.

Zogg here features a motorized attack function. This does little more than make him walk forward, as well as the key piece for playing out battles - A stun deflector shield.

You can play with Zogg by either interacting him with Electroman, or blasting him yourself with the included stun gun. Remember, it's not about killing the villain. It's about stunning him to take him alive. That's what good superheroes do.

As was the case in the 70's (and 80's), when ordering toys from a catalog you often didn't get the flashy packaging that sat on toy shelves. Take for example these Montgomery Ward catalog boxes below. This is how the dolls came from that particular retailer.

Depending on the condition you're looking for, Electroman can set you back anywhere from $8.00 (poor / loose) to $400.00 (mint / sealed). Oddly enough, the Montgomery Ward versions in their bland brown boxes go for more than packaged ones.

Zogg is much more scarce, and loose will set you back anywhere from $50.00 to $80.00. Mind you, that this doesn't include the stun gun. Boxed versions are few and far between, and more so from European countries when found. Due to its scarce nature, we can't estimate a value for one on the box.

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J.J. Armes (AKA Jay J. Armes) (Ideal)

J.J. Armes (AKA Jay J Armes)
Ideal
1977

Private Investigator, black belt in karate, bionic hands, television actor and book author - Jay J. Armes! Sounds like a pretty fascinating character, huh? Well, sit down for this one - He's a real person too.

J.J. Armes from the 1976 toy line from Ideal, is a real life American born in El Paso, Texas. At the age of eleven, he and his friend Dick Caples broke into a Texas & Pacific Railroad section house where they stole railway torpedoes. This day would be life changing for Armes in many ways.

When Armes rubbed two of the railway torpedoes together, they detonated mangling both of his hands. After being transported to a hospital, both his hands were amputated. Though it is not specified when he received his prosthetic limbs, it is safe to say that they certainly don't hinder him. In fact, they may have been what pushed him to become the man he is today.

Probably most notable in his numerous career hats is his own Private Investigator firm - The Investigators, which he founded in 1978. This included his launching of The Investigators Security Course which was designed as a mobile patrol and security service. Mr. Armes also professes himself to be the greatest Private Investigator in the world.

We're not to sure how the line came about. It might have been the publishing of his book, Jay J. Armes, Investigator in 1976. It could have been that the stars just aligned that day. Whatever it was that actually turned Ideal's collective heads towards the man, the end result was the short lived J.J. Armes doll and Mobile Investigation Unit playset that same year.

While we're not sure how popular the line was back in the 70's, these days the figure is rather valuable. Prices range from $20.00 to $40.00 for loose dolls - higher end prices being for those complete with the accessories and clothing. Ones in the box can sell for around $60.00 for low end condition, with mint packaging selling for upwards of $180.00.

Though the Mobile Investigation Unit isn't all that common, it doesn't sell often either. This is most likely due to sellers asking far too much than people are willing to pay. The average asking price for a loose one is around $60.00 to $65.00.

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Super Queens (Ideal)

Super Queens
Ideal
1967 - 1968

During the 1960's and 70's, Ideal was one of the largest doll-makers in the United States. With familiar characters such as Evil Knievel, Captain Action and Dorothy Hamil (to name just a few), the company was well poised to sell dolls to children of all ages, boy or girl.

In 1967 Ideal produced an all new line - Super Queens. This four doll set featured some of the most popular female heroine's of DC Comics, and even Krypto the Superdog in the case of Supergirl. The overall design of the dolls were in the style of another Ideal line, Posin' Misty. Much like the Misty doll, each Super Queen stood 11.5 inches, and featured rooted hair. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without the signature side-glancing eyes.

What makes these dolls extra special to collectors is that they were the first examples of dolls for these particular characters. It wouldn't be until the 70's that Mego introduced its line of eight inch dolls / action figures based on some of these DC characters.

 Supergirl

 Batgirl

 Wonder Woman

Mera

In general these dolls are not common, nor easy to find. One pops up here and there, but typically it is Batgirl or Supergirl. Wonder Woman and Mera remain far more scarce.

Due to the fragile nature of the packaging these are prone to crushing / bowing on the sides. Because of this, there are very few dolls known to exist in the box in true mint condition. With that said, even the worst of condition one will set you back considerably.

Loose dolls sell at a starting price of $500.00, and mint in the box ones can sell for several thousands. This is certainly no line for the faint of heart, or frugal budgeted collector.

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Manglors (Ideal)

Manglors
1984 - 1985
Ideal

Manglors are not a very commonly known toy from the 80's, but for those that had them they are fondly remembered. The line was produced by Ideal, and featured characters made from a material known as Sobothane - a synthetic polymer. The figures contained no joints, and were boasted as being able to be cut apart so that you could mix and match the pieces of the various figures to make your own creations.

Toys that could be cut apart and adhered to others in the line? It was a brilliant marketing scheme that would later be put to the test by Consumer Unions own Penny Power. Long story short, the tests failed, and the product was determined to be sold under false advertising as while the pieces could be cut apart, they didn't adhere to each other as advertised. The end result was a series that lasted only two years.

When the series began, three individual figures were made available as well as one playset. The figures came packed inside cardboard peg boxes that held the figures inside of plastic to ensure their sticky limbs didn't dry out.

Manglodactyle*Manglord*Manlosaurus

The highlight of the series (in general) is Manglor Mountain - The one and only playset produced during its run. It came packed with not only the volcano playset base, but also a Manglord figure, a cage to encase the figure in, and the biggest selling point for its era - Slime!

The playset worked by pouring the slime into the top of the volcano, and then placing your Manglord figure inside of the cage. Drop the cage into the volcano, and then pump it back up to the top by pressing the red button located in the mouth of the volcano - Literally. The end result was a figure that would rise out of the top of the playset covered in gooey slime. Awesome!

Manglor Mountain

A second series was released which featured the three original released ones as well as three new ones. Each figure came packed in its own window box, and encased inside of an egg. The figures were made from the same Sobothane material, and still boasted that they could be cut apart, and adhered to each other.

Manglolizard*Maglodactyle*Mangloedemon

Manglodragon*Manlord*Manglosaurus

Because many people don't know about the series, selling points are all over the map. The playset, which is the most commonly found item in the series, can sell for as little as $2.00 (loose with all components), and $100.00 (mint in the box) with price points all over the place in between for loose and sealed.

The individual figures are far more scarce, and priced so high that most people don't buy them. Sellers ask as much as $150.00 to $170.00 for each of them. With that said, Manglodragon and Manglolizard are the only ones we've seen cropping up as of late.

Because of the nature of these figures, it's not easy to find them in a condition that is desirable. Due to the material they are made from, they are prone to drying out. This could contribute to why so many sellers are asking such a high price - There honestly may not be all that many of them out there that are in good condition, or salvageable in general.

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Dorothy Hamill (Ideal)

Dorothy Hamill
Ideal
1977

We can't help but think that the reason behind a Dorothy Hamill doll was to somewhat push Barbie out of the spotlight. Why buy a blonde haired, non working woman who seems to revel in her own beauty, when you can and should buy a doll based on a real working girl who fought her way to the Olympics in 1976 to become the gold medal champion?

That may not necessarily have been the premise behind the doll, but we still think it.

Well, as we said, Dorothy Hamill was the gold medal champion of the Olympics in 1976 for ice skating. She then went on to become the champion of the world in that same "sport". After her continued success in the Olympics, Hamill joined up as a headliner for Ice Capades (1977 to 1984). She would eventually buy the franchise in 1993, but then sold it in 1995.

Due to her success and popularity, she was voted and tied for first place with Mary Lou Retton in 1993 as the most well known athlete in America - Beating out the likes of Michael Jordon, Joe Montana and many others. The contest included the names of 800 athletes in total.

But, what about this 1977 doll from Ideal? We've already given our opinion on how that came about. Opinions of origins aside though, it's a pretty fantastic item - Especially if you're into doll collecting. The included Olympic medal has got to be one of our all time favorite accessories included with any packaged doll. The detail on it alone is superb.

 

That's just cool how much detail they got into that! Especially in 1976. Kudos to Ideal for a job well done.

Featured in the package was also an ice skating rink. However, before you get too excited about this, it's not really a rink. Instead it's a round plastic stand. You put the doll on it, then with your hand push the stand around, and Dorothy will spin and spin as she moves across whatever surface you're pushing her on. The included instruction booklet also depicted numerous poses to put the doll in to showcase real ice skating moves.

The doll also featured its own line of clothing - All of it ice skating related. Three individual outfits were produced and released. They were released under the tag line, "Star Performance Outfits".

Show Stopper*Rehearsal Warm Up*Swirling Snow Flake

From the obscure to the most popular, we try to dig them all up here at The Toy Box. We hope you've enjoyed our look at Ideal's Dorothy Hamill doll from 1977.

Join us May 1st for a special announcement!

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